Sheath materials are used in a variety of systems, including, for example, medical devices, such as balloon catheters.
Balloon catheters are commonly used in medical procedures. As an example, in some procedures a balloon catheter is used to open an occluded lumen, as in angioplasty. As another example, in certain procedures a balloon catheter is used to position another medical implement, such as a stent or graft, within a lumen. As an additional example, a balloon catheter can be used to selectively block a passageway. In additional examples, a balloon catheter is used in various combinations of these procedures.
Typically, a balloon catheter is positioned within a blood vessel, and the balloon portion of the catheter is then inflated with an inflation fluid. In some cases, a balloon catheter includes a hypotube. The hypotube is often designed to act as a part of the conduit for the inflation fluid and to impart an appropriate amount of stiffness to the balloon catheter so that the balloon catheter can be positioned (e.g., in a blood vessel) within a patient. Under certain circumstances, it can be desirable to reinforce the hypotube with a sheath.